
about your panic attacks. (It's my advice./I advise you to...) Ought to: general advice You ought to
get more sleep every night. (It's a good idea/thing to do.)
Possibility (can, could)
Can + present infinitive: General/theoretical possibility. Not usually used for a specific situation. A
fear can be paralysing. (general possibility - it is theoretically possible)
Could/May/Might + present infinitive: Possibility in a specific situation. She might see a
psychologist about her self-esteem issues. (It is possible./It is likely./Perhaps.) Note: We can use
can/could/might in questions but not may. Who could help me with my problem?
Could/Might/Would+ perfect infinitive refer to sth in the past that was possible but it didn't happen. I
could have gone to Jim for advice but he was out of town. (It was possible but I didn't do it.)
Ability/Inability (can, could, was able to)
Can('t) expresses (in)ability in the present/ future. Jane can sing and dance very well. (She is
able to...) Could expresses general repeated ability in the past. He could play chess when he was
six. (He was
able to...) Was able to expresses ability on a specific occasion in the past. We were able to find
cheap theatre tickets. (We managed to…)
Couldn't/Wasn't able to may be used to express any kind of inability in the past, repeated or
specific. Sophie couldn't run fast as a child. (wasn't able to; past repeated action) Lizzie
couldn't/wasn't able to run in the race because she had a sprained ankle. (didn't manage to; past
single action)
Offers/Suggestions (can, would, shall, could)
Can: Can I make you some tea? (Would you like me
to...?)
Would: Would you like to invite your friends to
dinner? (Do you want to ...?)
Shall: Shall I pick you up from the airport? (Would
you like me to...?/Do you want me to ...?) Can/Could: We can cook pasta for dinner. We could go
trekking next week. (Let's...)
Probability (will, should/ought to)
Will: She will feel better after she's discussed her problem. (100% certain) Should/Ought to: Jared
should/ought to drop by later. (90% certain; future only; it's probable)
Permission/Prohibition (can, may, mustn't, can't)
Can/May are used to ask for/give permission.